Devices for preparing a beverage by injecting pressurized fluid to a capsule are well-known, especially in the field of producing coffee or coffee type beverages. In addition, other substances such as chocolate or milk ingredients can be extracted or dissolved to form a beverage. The advantages of such a system are in particular the conservation and freshness of the ingredients, as well as the possibility of facilitating the operations when preparing the beverage.
The method of preparing the beverages using such a device is in principle as follows. The capsule is usually first inserted into a capsule receiving chamber or a receptacle of the beverage preparation device. After that, a water injecting means, such as a needle connected to the liquid supply of the device is introduced through or pierces a face of a capsule to inject a hot or cold liquid, in order to make the liquid interact with the ingredients within the capsule. The liquid beverage resulting from this interaction is then discharged through a delivery face of the capsule. For example, the delivery face opens due to the internal pressure in the capsule generated by injecting the liquid or, alternatively, the face is already permeable by virtue of its structure.
It should be understood that the interaction between the liquid and the ingredients within the capsule can be dissolving, extraction, dilution, mixing or any other interactions in order to prepare a beverage by means of ingredients provided within the capsule.
The term “capsule” is meant to be any sort of portioned packaged food ingredients such as an aluminium and/or plastic food container, a filter paper pod or a combination thereof.
In general, a device for applying the above outlined interaction principle of beverage production is equipped with a closing mechanism in order to enable an enclosure of the capsule within the receptacle of the device. Such a closing mechanism usually comprises at least two enclosing members which can be moved relatively to each other and wherein the enclosing members may assume an open insertion position for inserting a capsule into the receptacle of the device and a closed enclosing position for enclosing the capsule within the receptacle of the device. In the enclosing position, the capsule is usually placed in fluid pressure tightness with the enclosing members which comprise water injection means for supplying water in the capsule. For operating such a closing mechanism, the mechanism usually comprises lever means which enable a user to transmit a force from the operator to the enclosing members in order to enclose the capsule within the receptacle.
WO 2005/004683 for example relates to a device for extracting a capsule comprising a knee-joint mechanism directly linked to a lever of the device in order to enclose a capsule by means of a first enclosing member which is movable with respect to a second enclosing member.
The disclosed embodiment of the device however suffers the disadvantage that a high force is required on the lever to close the extraction head. Thereby, the pressure remaining in the capsule must be overcome to pass the hard point of the knee-joint mechanism. Moreover, the rubber sealing provides an elastic force to be overcome when the injection part is pressed on the capsule which has to be countered in opening.
It is therefore desirable to provide force demultiplying means which are suitable for varying a transmission ratio between the lever and the enclosing members in order to facilitate the closing movement of the lever.
WO 2007/135136 for example refers to such device having a closing mechanism comprising additional force transmission means associated to the lever and arranged to de-multiply the force applied by the lever on a knee-joint mechanism that compensates for the increase of the force needed for closing the holding parts on the capsule. Thereby, the lever is attached to intermediate connecting rods for amplifying the lever force applied on the first axis of the knee-joint. The dimensions of the rods and the positions of the axis are thereby specifically designed for providing a constant force amplification. In WO 2007/135136, the angular path of the lever must be relatively high, in particular of at least 90 degrees from a full opening of the head enabling the insertion of a capsule to the full closure of the head about the capsule in a fluid tight manner. In other words, the user must pull the lever at about 90 degrees to fully open the head and must be able to insert a capsule between the holding members or remove a capsule holder from the head (either manually or by capsule ejection means).
For instance, when the device is placed in a confined area (e.g., in a small kitchen or in a niche below a cupboard), it is desirable to reduce the amplitude of movement of the lever and ensure the full, unhindered operation of the device in such area.
Hence, there is a need for proposing a solution consisting of rendering the closure even easier. There is also a need for reducing the angular path of the lever so that opening/closing can be done more straightforward and with much less handling.
The present invention therefore aims at providing a solution to the above-described problems.
The invention also aims at other objects and particularly the solution of other problems as will appear in the rest of the present description.